August 19, 2013

FCC Technician Exam Question Of The Day (T0B10)

Q) Which of the following is true concerning grounding conductors used for lightning protection?

A) Sharp bends must be avoided

NJ2X Notes:
Sharp bends in grounding conductors (wire, braid, or copper strapping) present an impedance bump to lightning that will potentially travel through the conductors.  When lightning encounters an impedance, it can cause the lightning to take other routes to ground instead of through the conductor which can lead to damage.